Spencer Reid: Afterlife
by Red Dragon - Jura
Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional.  But is it really the end for our young genius?
1. GSW

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional. But is it really the end for our young genius?

Disclaimer: I don't own CM or Spence! :(

AN: For those of you reading 'No Escape', I haven't given up on that story, I promise, I've just been completely over-run with Hurt!Spencer plot bunnies and had to write this! Either way, I hope you enjoy this!

Chapter One: GSW

The suburban neighbourhood of Atlanta, Georgia was peaceful and quiet in the early mid-summer morning. Families were curled up asleep in their beds, enjoying the well earned rest of a Saturday morning, and content in the knowledge that they and their loved ones were safe. Birds chirped happily while the gentle wind rustled the well covered trees that lined the street. Flowers were in full bloom and the sun shone brightly on dew sprinkled grass, making the droplets shine like diamonds.

It was a postcard perfect scene.

The beauty was however broken by the screeching of rubber on asphalt and the monotonous whine of sirens as two large black SUV's and half a dozen police cars careened down the cul-de-sac, coming to a stop only at the dead end.

The SUV doors were the first to open, six smartly dressed people in FBI emblazoned bullet proof vests exiting and standing to look at one of the houses. The many police officers and SWAT members following suit and coming to stand behind them.

The FBI team, part of the Behavioural Analysis Unit, was lead by Supervisory Special Agent Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner. Hotch was a family man who took pride in the team he'd helped to create; a team that had become like a family in itself.  
>Flanking him was SSA David Rossi, a previously retired and excellently skilled profiler, and SSA Derek Morgan, the BAU's resident tough guy but a sweetheart inside who really cared for his co-workers.<br>Behind them were, SSA Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau, the team's media liason, SSA Emily Prentiss, a woman who may not look like much but could take down a man five times the size of her, and SSA Dr. Spencer Reid, all around genius and the youngest member of the BAU team.

The team were dealing with an unsub who was attacking women of beauty, blinding them with tear gas before shooting them in the heart. The profile had said that psychologically, the unsub was exacting revenge for every time a woman had blinded him with her charms before breaking his heart. It had taken a while, but eventually they had determined that the unsub was a man called Frederick Porter, a maths student who had been bullied and taunted throughout most of his life, causing him to turn to violence and crime.

The police waited cautiously behind the BAU team, knowing that it was Quantico's experts who would know what exactly needed to be done. All they needed to do was assist where necessary.

The house looked just like the others from the outside, but the BAU team knew different. Motioning for Rossi, Prentiss and Morgan to take the back, Hotch, along with Reid and JJ, took the front.

At a count of three, both doors were kicked open and the team swamped into the house, guns at the ready. Shouts of "Clear" echoed throughout the house until they entered the living area where their sight was immediately blinded by a cloud of thick white smoke.

Hotch, unable to see any members of his team, could not believe that they had not accounted for the unsub may knowing that they were coming and setting a trap. He just hoped that they would still be able to arrest the unsub without any more casualties, a hope that was increased tenfold as soon as the smoke cleared and he was able to see...

Reid

The young agent was struggling in the unsub's grasp as Porter held him tightly around the neck, Reid's bullet proof vest hanging loosely from Porter's other hand.

They all froze.

Porter grinned almost sadistically as he watched the range of emotions that crossed the BAU team's faces as they realised how much danger one of their own was now in.

As if mocking them, Porter let the vest drop to the floor with an audible, almost deafening clatter.

"Porter." Hotch began, hoping to diffuse the situation quickly. "You don't want to do this. Let him go".

Porter didn't respond, merely continuing to grin as he held Reid in front of him like a protective shield, knowing that the team would not shoot if there was a chance that they could injure their team member.

"Let him go!" Morgan echoed, his big brother instincts flaring. Reid was like a little brother to Morgan and the older agent would do anything to make sure that Reid was safe.

Hotch shot a look at Morgan, silently telling him that getting angry would do Reid no good, before turning his attention back to Porter. "Let him go, or we WILL open fire". He hoped that stressing the point would cause Porter to become unconfident in his assumption of the team.

It didn't work. If anything, Porter's smile grew wider as he drew a gun from his back pocket and pressed it to Reid's chest, just where his heart would be.

"Did you know that love isn't just about a couple or a family?" Porter taunted. "It's about a bond." He pressed the gun further into Reid, making the young agent squirm slightly, before continuing. "Did you also know that the one thing most likely to break someone is losing a person they share that bond with?"

His finger tightened on the trigger.

"I've had my heart broken. It's only fair I share it around."

Gunshots rang out.

Porter stumbled, hand clutching his shoulder as blood began to seep through his fingers. His gun clattered to the floor and his hold on Reid slipped as pain clouded his eyes and he fell to the floor gasping.

Next to him, Reid also fell.

Morgan was the first to get to Reid, stopping the younger man from hitting the floor, as Hotch made sure that Porter was incapacitated before cuffing him.

Smiling at the younger agent, Morgan said, "It's alright kiddo", thinking that the reason Reid's eyes were slightly clouded and confused was because he was in shock.

He heard Emily gasp from behind him, but brushed it off as a noise of relief; relief at knowing that Reid was ok.

It was only when Reid looked at him, his eyes unfocused, and spoke that Morgan realised how wrong he was.

"M'rg'n?" Reid whispered. "M'rg'n H'rts" Reid's words were slurred and pained, and it was only when Morgan looked down at Reid's shirt that he realised why.

"HOTCH!" Morgan yelled, staring in horror at the growing crimson stain on Reid's shirt.

The BAU Unit leader hurried over, Porter now being handled by the local PD, and was horrified by the scene he saw in front of him. His youngest team-member, the one that he, that they all, had sworn to protect after the events of the Hankel case, was once again lying broken and bloody before his eyes.

He only paused in shock for a few moments however before springing into action and running to the front door where he proceeded to call for paramedics, who were in the house within seconds.

Morgan slowly moved away as the paramedics began to work on Reid, though still keeping one hand tightly gripping one of the younger agents', as if by letting go, Reid would somehow disappear.

"Alright, we got a GSW. Bullet seems to have gone through, but by the sounds of his breathing, we've got a punctured lung." One paramedic said as they examined Reid all the while putting a C-Collar on him and strapping him to a backboard.

The other paramedic nodded before adding. "Possible internal bleeding too. We're gonna have to red line to the OR stat."

With a nod between them, they lifted Reid onto a stretcher and took him out of the house to the ambulance, the team following close behind, looks of worry and fear on all of their faces.

Once again their youngest was face to face with death.

They just hoped he hadn't used up all his chances.

Hope you all enjoyed that chappie!

Thanks for reading!

Please review!


	2. Guilt

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional. But is it really the end for our young genius?

Disclaimer: I don't own CM or Spence! :(

AN: Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews! I really appreciate it!

Chapter Two: Guilt

_Morgan_

The ambulance doors were starting to close when Morgan jumped in. The paramedics looked questioningly at him, but said nothing. Their patient was an FBI Agent, and because of that, the rules were slightly skewed. Morgan said nothing either, just stared at Reid's limp form with tears in his eyes.  
>Derek knew that Spencer was a danger magnet and that it wasn't unusual for Spencer to once again be in an ambulance – in the past year alone he had contracted Anthrax and got shot in the leg – but each time it happened, a part of Derek's heart broke.<br>Derek saw Spencer as his little brother, someone he needed to protect, and so every time he got into danger, Derek could only feel as if he had failed.  
>His eyes locked onto the tube going down Spencer's throat; a sure sign that this was serious. Tears gathered being his eyelids and he had to blink rapidly in order to move them. What scared him more was the fact that Reid was still conscious, his eyes darting around rapidly and his hand squeezing Derek's tight; the only source of comfort he could find.<br>Derek smiled lightly. "It's going to be ok kid. I promise. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."  
>Reid's eyes locked with his and Derek could see the gratitude in them.<br>But as he watched a small trickle of blood seep out from Reid's mouth and the paramedic who was watching over him turn to the driver and say "faster," Derek could only hope that that wasn't a promise he was going to have to break.

_Hotch_

The hospital reception was white and sterile, as were all hospital receptions.  
>Hotch hated it.<br>Now that wasn't to say that if the room was full of colour he would love it, in fact he would hate it even more, but Hotch still felt that the white was to try and keep its occupants peaceful, when they were anything but.  
>He turned and watched as his team tried to deal with the situation in their own way.<br>JJ was pacing while on her cell-phone to Will and Henry.  
>Rossi was angrily talking to the receptionist, wanting news on what was happening to Reid.<br>Prentiss was having a staring contest with the floor.  
>Garcia was sobbing into a tissue, unable to keep it together.<br>And Morgan...Morgan was staring at his blood covered hands, barely blinking, lost in his own thoughts.  
>Hotch turned away, unable to watch any longer. The team were a family, and every time one of their own got injured, they took it personally and it hit them hard.<br>Hotch himself was not faring too well. He had been the one to send Reid into the house without realising that they could be facing a trap, hell he had been the one (with Gideon) to recruit Reid to his team, so he felt guilty that Reid was now hurt.  
>So soon after losing Haley, Hotch didn't know if he could deal with another loss.<br>He didn't know if his team could either.  
>Reid was the heart of this team, always with a smile even when things went wrong, and Hotch knew that the team would be broken if Reid were not able to pull through.<br>He could only hope that if that were to happen, he'd be able to fix them.

_JJ_

JJ hated waiting.  
>Especially when someone she cared about was in danger.<br>She remembered when she had first met Reid, with his messy hair, gangly limbs and fashion sense that looked like it had gone way past its expiry date. They had instantly become friends and she thought of him like a little brother, much like Morgan did. He was such a good friend, and godfather to her son, and he always tried to see the best in people. He did not deserve to keep getting hurt. But unfortunately, it was his good nature that always kept getting him hurt, for it meant that he took more chances than the others would, not to mention the fact that the unsub's always seemed to prey on Reid's kindness.  
>She just hoped that he would be ok.<br>She couldn't imagine life without her Spence, her best friend, and couldn't imagine Henry growing up without his godfather.  
>She shook her head as tears spilled over her cheeks.<br>No. He had to be ok. He had to. She couldn't, wouldn't, think of the alternative.

_Rossi_

The receptionist was scared. This much, Rossi knew.  
>He did not however know anything about the condition of the young man they were all here for.<br>David Rossi was typically a patient man. After so many years in the bureau and coming back even after retirement, Rossi knew not to show his feelings, for they were only a weakness.  
>But this time, Rossi could care less about showing weakness.<br>All he wanted to know was that the young man that he thought of like a son, much like Gideon once had, was going to be ok.  
>For the first time in his life, David Rossi felt scared.<br>He knew that a GSW to the chest with a punctured lung was possibly life threatening, depending on where exactly the bullet hit, how much bleeding there was, and what the response time of the first responders were.  
>Rossi shook those thoughts away.<br>The ambulance had gotten there quickly, so there was no reason to assume that Reid would be anything but ok.  
>Reid would be fine.<br>David Rossi was never wrong.

_Prentiss_

Emily Prentiss was boring holes into the floor with her eyes.  
>She refused to look up at her surroundings and see the faces of her other team members.<br>It would only make it more real.  
>So for now, she kept her head bent low, lost in her own thoughts, and seeped in denial.<br>Why was it always Reid?  
>This was the question that Emily kept asking herself.<br>Didn't the young man realise how much he meant to her? How much her heart leapt into her mouth every time he put himself in danger? Every time he got hurt?  
>Of course he didn't, she thought to herself bitterly, because she never told him.<br>She never told him how much she adored his constant rambling, his by-gone clothes and his inherent nature to see the good in everything.  
>She never told him how much she loved him.<br>Finally lifting her head as a doctor walked into the reception and announced Spencer's name, Emily made a promise to herself that Reid would be ok, and that as soon as she saw him, she would tell him how she really felt.

_Garcia_

Garcia sat in the small hospital room, holding onto Reid's hand for dear life; literally.  
>Her junior G-man had faced death so much that Garcia felt that if she were to let go, he would disappear.<br>So she kept hold.  
>The doctor had said that they were able to repair the damage that the bullet did to Reid, but that he had developed a severe lung infection and so they were still keeping him on the ventilator. The doctor had assured them that Reid was receiving the best possible care and that as long as the infection cleared up that Reid would make a full recovery.<br>Garcia couldn't think about what would happen if the infection didn't clear up.  
>The others had spent a few minutes with Reid, assuring themselves that he was fine, before going to grab some stuff from his hotel room and some food respectively, leaving the tech analyst alone with the young man.<br>She'd sensed that Prentiss had wanted more time, privately, with Reid and had only reluctantly gone to his hotel room with JJ. Garcia hoped that Prentiss was finally going to tell Reid about her feelings for him as she wanted her junior G-man and one of her best friends to finally get the happiness they deserved.  
>She knew that Prentiss would be mortified if she knew that Garcia knew about her love for the Las Vegas native, so Garcia vowed to keep it to herself, though was it her fault if she knew pretty much everything going on in the lives of her co-workers?<br>But that didn't mean that she couldn't root for them, especially when she knew that Reid felt the same way.  
>Reid's eyes blinked open, and for a moment he seemed scared at his new surroundings and the tube down his throat, but as soon as he settled his eyes upon Garcia's face, he calmed down.<br>"Hey Reid."  
>The young man smiled the best he could around the tube, and Garcia's hand unconsciously tightened around his.<br>Reid was going to be ok.  
>Garcia would make sure of it.<p>

I hope you all liked the chapter, as I really enjoyed writing all the characters thoughts and feelings.

Thanks for reading!

Please review!

Holly


	3. Tears of an Angel

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional. But is it really the end for our young genius?

Disclaimer: I don't own CM or Spence! :(

AN: Thanks again for all the reviews! I really appreciate it! This next chapter is inspired by the song 'Tears of an Angel' by RyanDan.

Chapter Three: Tears of an Angel

Garcia was worried.  
>Despite the infection, she had been sure that her Junior G-man was going to be fine, but in the past hour that he had been awake he had been coughing violently, and now she wasn't so sure.<br>She hated to think that way as she loved her babies and was always worried for them when they went on a case, but as she sat there with her hand in Reid's, she couldn't help but feel like she was faces with an inevitable truth.  
>One day, one of her babies was going to leave her.<br>She just hoped that it wasn't going to be today.

When Prentiss got back from Spencer's apartment with JJ, she was eager to see the young genius. Now that she knew he was going to be ok, even if he still had a hard road ahead of him, she wanted to finally tell him how she felt.  
>She was nervous as she was unsure as to whether he felt the same way, but at the same time, she knew that she couldn't hold it in any longer.<br>Rushing past JJ with Reid's go bag slung on her shoulder, she burst into his room, startling the tech analyst sitting by the bed.  
>She smiled as Reid looked up at her and smiled around the tube the best he could.<br>"Garcia?" She looked at the usually bubbly but now silent woman. "Could I have a moment alone with Reid?"  
>Garcia nodded left the room.<br>Taking Garcia's place beside the bed, she grasped Reid's hand in her own, stroking the pale skin with her thumb softly.  
>The sounds in the room caught her attention for a moment. The beeping and whizz of machines as they pumped antibiotics into Spencer's body and air into his lungs. A few tears seeped out of Emily's eyes, once again wondering why it was Spencer who always got hurt so badly, especially when she looked back at him and saw the pain etched deep in his eyes.<br>He always refused to take any pain medication.  
>"Oh Spence" Emily whispered, squeezing his hand in her own.<br>Spencer seemed to brighten slightly at her use of his nickname before a coughing fit over took him.  
>Jumping up, Emily held onto him, whispering to him softly and trying to calm him down as spasms rocked his body.<br>When he was finally settled, she put her hand back on his and decided that it was now or never.  
>She never noticed the numbers on the heart monitor slowly decreasing.<br>"Spence...I..." Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself. "I've wanted to tell you this for a long while now, but I either didn't have the chance, or I was too scared to do so."  
>Spencer was watching her intently, though his eye lids were drooping slightly.<br>"I'm just going to come out and say it." She paused and took a deep breath. "I love you."  
>A stray tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke, and she wiped it away before continuing.<br>"I love you. And I'm sorry that I never said it before, but I'm saying it now. I love you Spencer William Reid. Every time you put yourself in danger my heart leaps out of my chest, even more so when you actually get hurt, and I decided I can't take you not knowing anymore. I can't hope and pray that you'll come back from a case alright just so that I can have another day where I don't tell you."  
>It was at that point that Emily broke into tears, all of her emotions from the past few days and from keeping her feelings a secret coming to the forefront.<br>But she stopped when she felt Spencer turn her hand in his, so that her palm was facing upright, and write 'I love you too' with his finger before squeezing her hand in his own.  
>Emily's eyes met his, and for a moment, everything seemed right in the world.<br>Then Spencer began to cough again, and the heart monitor started to beep erratically.  
>Bringing a tissue to his mouth the best she could, Emily tried to help him regain control of his breathing once more, but to no avail. Pulling the tissue back, she was horrified to find it stained with blood.<br>Running to the doorway, she screamed for help, the nurses running into action, and the other members of the BAU stood frozen as Emily was ushered out of the room.  
>Everything went foggy, Emily's eyes clouding with tears and all sound becoming distorted. She barely recognised Hotch as he ushered her to a chair, presumably before she fell, for her eyes were locked onto Spencer's room as doctors and nurses rushed back and forth with all different sorts of medical equipment.<br>Minutes passed by, and then, Emily Prentiss' world fell apart and all she could see was black.

The team were frozen to their places in the reception as they heard the erratic beeping of a heart monitor and saw Emily Prentiss rush out of Reid's room and scream for help, tears pouring down her face.  
>Hotch was the first to get to her, ushering her to a chair for fear that she might collapse, but Prentiss wasn't paying him any attention.<br>She looked disorientated and, in a way, comatose, staring at Reid's room with glassy, tear stained eyes as the doctors tried to figure out what was going on and help him.  
>Keeping one arm wrapped around Emily, for her support and his, Hotch also couldn't take his eyes off Reid's room, desperately hoping that one of the doctors would come out and tell them that this was all a mistake and that Reid was fine.<br>Hotch couldn't lose a member of his team, not now, not ever.  
>He glanced over at JJ and Garcia who were holding each other for support and then to Morgan who also watching the room with trepidation and fear in his eyes, before looking back down at Prentiss and the tissue clutched tightly in her hand.<br>His heart skipped a beat.  
>A doctor finally exited the room, after what seemed like hours, and approached them; the look on his face betraying the news before he even spoke it.<br>Hotch could not hear his words.  
>Reid was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.<br>He had failed.

_Cover my eyes,  
>Cover my ears,<br>Tell me these words are a lie..._

AN: Eeep! [Runs away from mob] I already told you that this was going to happen! But fear not, Spence will return! I promise!

Thanks for reading!

Please review!

Holly.


	4. Broken BAU

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional. But is it really the end for our young genius?

Disclaimer: I don't own CM or Spence! :(

AN: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, it made me cry writing it. Also, this story is now dedicated to 'lolyncut' for giving me such a great idea as to how to continue this story!

Chapter Four: Broken BAU

_Hey Lucy, I remember your name  
>I left a dozen roses on your grave today<em>

The sky was dark and gloomy and rain poured down like buckets on the sombre crowd in the graveyard.  
>It was the perfect day for a funeral.<br>The trees swayed in the light breeze and a small crackle of thunder echoed around as if even god himself was angered by the death of one so young and with so much potential.  
>The hearse pulled up beside a group of people and they all went to stand in position, ready to carry the casket of their young friend and team-member.<br>Though it was typically men who were supposed to carry the casket, neither JJ, Garcia nor Emily backed down when they told Hotch that they wanted to help. Reid was their friend, and they should be allowed to carry him to his resting place.  
>Hotch had agreed and now here they stood, Garcia and Emily at the front with JJ and Rossi in the middle, and Hotch and Morgan at the back.<p>

_I'm in the grass on my knees,  
>wipe the leaves away<em>

The women all had tears cascading down their faces, making their mascara run, and it was clear that the men were trying their hardest to hold back their emotions.  
>Reid's parents were standing beside the grave, and as the casket came over, Diana Reid burst into tears, the reality of it all finally hitting her. William Reid stood with an arm around his ex-wife, tears lining his eyelids but refusing to fall.<br>Placing the casket down, they stood on the opposite side of the grave to Reid's parents, Hotch standing slightly further forward than the rest of them.  
>The priest, who had known Reid personally, delivered a beautiful eulogy which, despite the situation and horrible weather, made everyone smile just a little bit.<p>

_I just came to talk for a while  
>I got some things I need to say<em>

Then Hotch stepped forward to speak not only as Reid's boss, but also as his friend. "Spencer Reid was a special young man, and when I say special, I'm not just talking about his brains. His brains helped him to be an excellent profiler, but what made him stand out against the rest was his capacity to care and empathise."  
>Hotch paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing. "He was a team-mate, confidant and friend to every single one of us, and we know that our lives would have not been as happy nor as fulfilled had we not known him."<br>He glanced at the others, each with a small smile on their faces despite the tears, no doubt reliving the happy memories between themselves and Reid.  
>"I know that I can speak on behalf of the whole team when I say that we will miss him dearly."<br>Stepping back to stand side by side with the rest of his team, Hotch was finally able to wipe the tears from his eyes.

_Now that it's over  
>I just wanna hold her<em>

Then Garcia stepped forward, pushing a portable TV on a stand to the front of the grave, just behind the gravestone, making sure that everyone could see it.  
>"A week ago, Reid asked me to record a video for him in case anything ever happened. And while I'm sure he didn't expect it to be so soon, I promised him that I would show it at his funeral, and well, I'm going to respect that promise."<br>She turned on the TV and, once the image of Spencer Reid had filled the screen, hit play.  
>The image began to move, showing a smiling Reid looking directly at the camera.<br>"If you're watching this now, it means I've no doubt done something utterly stupid like trying to talk down an UnSub while blocking all my team's shots of him..."  
>Hotch smiled at the memory.<br>"...and unlike last time, it hasn't ended well. If so, then I am truly sorry."  
>Reid seemed to take a breath before speaking.<br>"It's hard to speak as if I am dead, as I have no idea when it is going to happen, how, or what is going to happen between now and then, but I'm going to try my best. Mom..."  
>Diana Reid locked eyes with the image of her child, clearly trying her hardest not to break down again.<br>"...I'm so sorry for what this is no doubt doing to you, but I want you to know that I love you, and..." Spencer seemed to choke on his own tears for a moment before continuing. "...I need you to know, that I've spent every day of my life, proud...to be your son."  
>Diana couldn't take it any longer, and broke down once more.<br>"Dad..."  
>William looked up from his sobbing ex-wife to the image of the son he never got to know properly.<br>"...I know that things have been rough between us, and I know that that's mostly my fault for never giving you a chance, but I want you to know that I love you nonetheless, and that I'm sorry that we never got to spend more time together."  
>William finally let the tears fall.<br>"Hotch..."  
>The BAU leader finally made himself look at the image of Spencer Reid, even though it intensified the guilt that he was feeling.<br>"Do not blame yourself. Please. It would kill me..." Reid broke off as he realised his mistake and began to ramble. "...though technically if I'm already dead then it can't because that would be physically impossible by many of the laws of science..." He caught himself before he ran out of both video and time to do what he needed to do. "...anyway, you get what I mean, if you did. You were the best unit chief an agent could ask for and a damn good friend too."  
>"Morgan..."<br>The usually reserved man who now had tears freely flowing down his face, nodded as if to acknowledge Reid.  
>"I don't want you to blame yourself either..."<br>Morgan's lip quirked upward slightly. "Too late pretty boy."  
>"...You were the best 'adoptive brother I never asked for' that I could have had, and I thank you for showing me all the wonderful things that you have done. I'll miss you."<br>"JJ..."  
>The media liaison smiled at the image of her best friend, even though it pained her to do so. She missed him so much already.<br>"You were always there for me when I needed you the most, and never once did you let me down. You were the best friend I could have ever hoped for and more. You helped me to laugh, to smile, and most of all you gave me the best little boy to spoil rotten. I'm going to miss being Henry's godfather and watching him grow up...unless of course I already have watched him grow up...oh, this is so confusing...anyway, but I thank you for the experiences that you have already shared with me. I will always love you both, no matter what."  
>"Rossi..."<br>The elder profiler nodded with a small smile.  
>"I've always looked up to you, and I think that because of you I've become a better profiler. You were always there to guide me when I was unsure, and I thank you greatly for that."<br>"Garcia..."  
>Finally, the tech analyst turned to the screen that was by the side of her, even though she already knew the words that he was going to say.<br>"Even though you're sitting behind that camera hearing me as I speak, I'm going to talk as if you aren't otherwise I'm not going to finish this."  
>Reid took a deep breath before speaking.<br>"No matter how bad the situation got, you were always there for us, for me, when we got back. You always had a smile, a cookie, or a witty Garcia greeting to cheer me up, and you always made sure that I kept my smile permanently on my face. So now I ask you to not lose your own smile, and to make sure that the others don't either."  
>Garcia, teary eyed and hiccupping, despite already knowing what he was going to say, nodded.<p>

_I'd give up all the world to  
>see that little piece of<br>heaven looking back at me_

"Emily..."  
>Finally, Emily Prentiss looked up at the image of Reid, the one that she loved and had left it near too late to tell.<br>"I really hope that I've had a chance to tell you this, and who knows maybe something has come of it, but I'm going to say it now anyway. I love you Emily Prentiss. From the bottom of my heart and with every fibre of my being, I love you. I know that may sound really cheesy or corny, but it's the truth. If you don't feel the same way, then don't worry, because you've still been an amazing friend to me, and I feel glad to have known you. If you do, then I hope I've told it you at least once, and hopefully many more times, and I want you to know that no matter what I will watch over you. I promise you that. I love you Em, take care."  
>The image froze, and Garcia turned the TV off before silently walking back to her position with the team.<br>The congregation then bowed their heads as a sign of respect while the priest finished the funeral;  
>"May the symbol of this dove represent his ability to be reborn."<br>A dove was released, and the congregation watched as it took off into the sky; a beacon of light within the darkness.  
>One by one, the occupants of the congregation stepped forward and placed a white rose each on top of the casket; a symbol of friendship. Hotch, Emily and Reid's parents stood waiting until everyone else had left.<p>

_Now that it's over  
>I just wanna hold her<em>

Diana and William Reid stood up to the casket to place a bouquet of flowers on it, but rather than leaving when they were done, Diana Reid stepped around the casket to where Hotch was stood, her posture and expression radiating anger.  
>"This is your fault."<br>She did not yell and yet her voice was laced with venom.  
>Hotch stayed silent.<br>"You were supposed to protect him. You were supposed to keep him safe."  
>William stepped forward, trying to usher his ex-wife away from the silent BAU Unit Chief.<br>"No!" Diana yelled, her voice finally raising, as William pulled her away.  
>"YOU KILLED MY SON!"<p>

_I've gotta live with the choices I made  
>And I can't live with myself today<em>

Hotch's head bowed in guilt as he whispered. "I know."  
>He knew that it was his fault that Reid was now gone, and regardless of Reid telling him not to feel guilty and that it wasn't his fault, Hotch couldn't help it.<br>He felt a hand on his shoulder which no doubt belonged to Prentiss, but Hotch didn't want to be consoled right now.  
>He didn't deserve it.<br>Shrugging away from her, he walked away.  
>It was his fault, and he was never going to be able to forgive himself.<p>

_Got to live with the choices I've made  
>And I can't live with myself today<em>

Emily watched sadly as Hotch walked away from Reid's grave, knowing that the older man was blaming himself for what happened.  
>Emily felt similar.<br>She blamed herself for not telling Reid how she felt sooner, for not letting him know how much he actually meant to her.  
>And now, she couldn't change it.<br>She couldn't take back all those moments that she let pass her by.  
>And it was that realisation that left Emily Prentiss feeling not only guilty, but filled with regret.<br>Smiling sadly, Emily placed her own rose on the casket, a red one for love, and pressed a kiss to the polished wood, "I love you Spencer," before walking away.  
>And as she did so, a pure white feather blew through the air, landing in the centre of the casket for a moment, before blowing back into the wind and into the now brightening sky.<p>

_Hey Lucy, I remember your name_

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

"I'm assigning you a new unit member."  
>From the glazed look in Strauss' eyes, Hotch wasn't sure whether he could take her seriously or not.<p>

"She can't do this Hotch! We _just_ lost Reid!"

Emily finally turned to face Garcia. "I'm not sure I can do this."

The man smiled and brushed a piece of hair from his eyes before speaking. "I'm Dr. Samuel Reynolds"

* * *

><p>Thank you all so much for reading!<p>

I hope you enjoyed it!

Please review!

Holly


	5. Samuel Reynolds

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional. But is it really the end for our young genius?

Disclaimer: I don't own CM or Spence! :(

AN: Hi all! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I've been bombarded with work. But I'm on semester break now, so hopefully I can update more frequently. Thanks for all your reviews, I really appreciate it!

Chapter Five: Samuel Reynolds

_6.27am_

As the sun rose over Quantico, Virginia that morning, Hotch's team of BAU profilers were already inside the FBI Headquarters catching up on paperwork.

None of them had been inside the building for a week, Strauss, showing an unusual kindness, having given them all a week off after their team-mates' death.

It did nothing to alleviate their pain.

Hotch had been the first to arrive at around 5.30am, citing an inability to sleep.

JJ had arrived shortly after, with Henry balanced on her hip and her arm holding him close. Tears had gathered in her eyes as she'd looked at the empty desk that used to be Reid's and had to excuse herself for a moment before solemnly heading to her office.

Rossi had probably been the most spoken of the team when he'd arrived at around 6am, but Hotch could tell that it was a facade to stop other from asking him how he was feeling.

Garcia and Morgan had entered only moments later, Morgan's arm wrapped tightly around his "baby girl". Hotch had at first been unsure as to what reason they were entering together, but as soon as he saw Morgan kiss Garcia briefly before she's headed to her "sanctuary", he had all the information he needed. It may have been against the FBI's no fraternizing rule, but Hotch could care less. He was glad that some happiness had come out of the ordeal.

He was worried about Prentiss however. Emily had just arrived, but the fact that her make-up was smudged through crying along with her inability to look at Reid's old desk, told him that she was the furthest from ok.

He'd had a hunch about Emily's affections towards the young doctor but had never questioned her about it, for it was not his place. He was now sure that his hunch had been correct.

He made a mental note to talk to Emily later, before the routine psych' eval's, but his train of thought was cut off by Erin Strauss entering his office.

"Strauss" Hotch stood and formally greeted his superior, despite the fact that dealing with her was the last thing he wanted to do today.

"Aaron" She nodded her head slightly in greeting. "How are you?"

"As well as can be expected." Hotch's answer was stiff; he wasn't exactly going to be feeling jovial was he?

Strauss nodded. "And the team?"

Hotch's jaw clenched. "Why are you here Strauss?"

"I'm assigning you a new unit member." From the glazed look in her eyes, Hotch wasn't sure whether he could take her seriously or not.

"You're..."

"Assigning you a new unit member."

Hotch wanted to scream at her, but forced himself to remain professional. "I think that's a bit premature."

"It's not up for discussion Aaron." Strauss turned. "He'll be here this afternoon."

And then she left, leaving a stunned Aaron Hotchner behind.

That was not what he had been expecting, and he knew that the team would not take the news well.

JJ could sense something was up as soon as Hotch walked into the bullpen.

It was now 9.30 and he had been pacing in his office and muttering to himself for the past three hours. JJ knew that he wasn't taking Reid's passing well, but she had not thought his mannerisms this morning to be very Hotch-like, despite the situation.

She'd been thinking when she went to drop Henry off at Nursery whether it had anything to do with Strauss having been in his office before he had started pacing, but wondered what the woman could have said that would make Hotch this anxious and unnerved.

Standing from her desk, she also went into the bullpen, standing by Emily's desk with one hand on her friend's shoulder. Morgan went to get Garcia while Rossi merely stood surveying Hotch with his 'profiling eyes'.

As soon as everyone was gathered, Hotch led them into the briefing room and let out a breath, another un-Hotch-like mannerism, before speaking.

"Strauss has decided to assign us a new unit member," _to take place of Reid_ was unspoken.

Hotch watched his team as they took in the news, seeing their expressions slowly morph to either anger, pain or sadness.

Tears swiftly appeared in Emily's eyes and she ran from the room; Garcia, also with tears in her eyes, ran after her.

Rossi nodded his head slowly, his jaw slightly clenched. He was trying his hardest to remain neutral. With many years at the BAU behind him, he was used to team-mates moving around or passing away. The problem was, this was the first team-mate that had actually felt like family to Rossi. It was a reaction Hotch had been expecting.

JJ was solemn, knowing in her heart that it was wrong to replace Reid so soon, but knowing that professionally it was bound to happen. "When do they arrive?"

"This afternoon." Hotch replied, nodding to JJ as a silent 'thank you' for acting so professionally when he knew that, inside, she was breaking.

Morgan's reaction was the one that shocked him the most. "No!" The man had stood as he shouted his whole body tense with anger. Although Hotch had expected Morgan to be angry, he hadn't expected the amount of passion that was seeping into his voice. He should have known though. Morgan had loved Reid like a little brother. This had to be painful for him.

Morgan continued. "She can't do this Hotch! We _just_ lost Reid!"

"I know it's soon." Hotch told him. "But she's already cleared it with the director. There's nothing I can do."

The wooden table cracked as Morgan's fist drilled into it.

Garcia slowly pushed the door to the women's bathroom open, hearing Emily's sobs from one of the cubicles and knowing that she had to do something to help her friend.

Emily retched for a few moments, though it was nothing but dry spasms, before wiping her mouth and exiting the cubicle, shocked to see Garcia standing there.

"Pen..." Emily's mumble was barely audible, but Garcia heard it.

"Oh sugar." Penelope wrapped her friend into a tight hug.

Emily buried her head into Garcia's shoulder and sobbed.

Garcia's expression was both pained and sympathetic. "Oh hunny. I know this has got to be tough for you, but we'll get through this I promise. Together. I mean, what are families for?"

Emily finally turned to face Garcia. "I'm not sure I can do this." Her head shook as she spoke, dispelling Penelope's comments.

Garcia turned, holding Prentiss at arm's length by her hands and squeezing them reassuringly. "Hey. Junior G-Man would not want you to give up now."

"Are you saying I should just move on?" Emily looked at Garcia incredulously.

Garcia shook her head, looking just as incredulous. "Of course not! You can't just move on from love. All I'm saying is that he wouldn't want you to quit. He'd want you to keep on saving people."

"Even though I couldn't save him?"

Garcia sighed. "I know for a fact he's looking down on you. Protecting you." She motioned to the roof with her head. "Talk to him. It might help."

Giving Emily's hands one last squeeze, Garcia left the bathroom, leaving Emily to her thoughts.

Emily watched her go for a moment, wondering whether Garcia was just being her usual unique self or whether she was actually being truthful before smiling and lifting her head to the ceiling. "Spence'. Please help me. I don't know how to do this without you"

With a sad smile, she left, knowing that she would have to go back to the bullpen eventually.

As she did so a small white feather floated through the air to land silently on the spot where Emily had been standing only moments ago.

The afternoon soon rolled around and the BAU members were all nervous about meeting the new team member, but not because they were shy or anything (that would be silly. They were FBI agents) but because they were worried about how the person being a replacement for Reid would affect their feelings towards them. None of them, with the exception of maybe Morgan, wanted to make them feel unwelcome, but at the same time they didn't want to feel like they were betraying Spencer.

As the clock struck 1pm, the end of their lunch break and therefore the beginning of the afternoon, each of the team's members lifted their head to look at the large glass doors that were the entrance to the bullpen.

Minutes ticked by when finally a man that no-one recognised, wearing a long black coat and carrying a rucksack, entered the bullpen.

Erin Strauss walked in behind him, just as Hotch stepped out of his office.

The others looked up towards Hotch, noting his calm demeanour but profiling that he was anything but. He himself was just as anxious about having a new unit member so soon after Reid's death.

Erin smiled and gestured towards the man while looking directly at Hotch. "Aaron. This is your new unit member."

The man gave a small wave, lifting his head to meet Hotch's eye line. As he did so, allowing the light to hit his face, the team could finally see the features of his face.

The man's hair was brown and curled, reaching just above his shoulders, and his eyes were sparkling in a sort of amusement. The man smiled and brushed a piece of hair from his eyes before speaking. "I'm Dr. Samuel Reynolds"

And for a moment, Emily thought she was looking at Reid.

"A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea."  
>Honore de Balzac<p>

Thanks for reading!

Hope you enjoyed it!

Please review! :)


	6. Evaluations

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional. But is it really the end for our young genius?

Disclaimer: I don't own CM or Spence! :(

AN: Thanks again for all the reviews guys and gals! They really make me smile, especially seeing as I haven't updated in ages, I thought you'd have got bored of waiting.  
>Here's the next chapter, and cookies to anyone who can find the quotes from 'Hanley Waters' that I've used.<p>

* * *

><p>Chapter Six: Evaluations<p>

Garcia

"How have you been?"

It was the standard opening question, and Hotch hated it. None the less, he had to obey the lain out questions of the Psych' Eval' test.

In the first interview, it was Garcia sitting across from him. Hotch had been dreading having to do these all week, which had only added to his anxiety of having a new unit member, although Reynolds seemed to be pleasant enough, and so had decided to start with the bubbly tech analyst, hoping that she would lift his spirits slightly.

Garcia shrugged, unsure herself of how she was feeling. "Ok, I guess."

Hotch nodded and scribbled on the notepad in front of him. He wanted to ask for more detail, only to appease Strauss, but didn't want to push Garcia more than he had to. None of the team really wanted to talk about it.

"And how have you been adapting to the new team member?"

Penelope sighed. Here was the one question she really had been dreading. "I think he's a nice guy." Out of all Hotch's team, Hotch included, Garcia had been the only one to try and make Reynolds feel welcome. They'd gone out for drinks a few times and she'd found out a lot about him. While his IQ wasn't nearly as good as Reid's, he was still fairly smart and had his Phd in Psychology. He wasn't good with animals (Which painfully was similar to Reid), had no siblings (Again similar), and was overall a bit more outgoing than her Junior G Man. She felt bad comparing him to Reid, but it was instinctual. "I've tried to make him feel welcome."

"But,"

"But I feel like I'm betraying Spencer." Pulling a tissue from her pocket, she wiped her eyes free of tears.

"Can you talk about Spencer for me?"

After a few moments, Penelope nodded. "I'll talk, but I don't want to talk about him being gone. Can I talk about how he made me smile?"

Hotch smiled. "Of course."

Penelope also smiled. "He was so sweet, my Junior G Man. He always thought of everybody before himself, from his mother to the criminals that it was our job to catch. And sometimes, when we had a tough case, he'd bring me a chai tea and some cake, just to make me feel better."

She dabbed at her eyes again.

"Do you remember the anthrax case?"

Hotch would rather forget – it all seemed too close now – but nodded nonetheless.

"When he was stuck in that room, all he could think about was solving the case and...and his mother. He could have gotten out and got to the hospital sooner, but instead he solved the case and made sure that his mother could have gotten to hear his voice if..." She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "But that's how he was. Always thinking of others first, so kind, and now..."

Her breath hitched and the tears finally fell.

Morgan

"How have you been?"

There was the dreaded question again. For the second time that day and with three more to go.

"Is this really what you want me to do Hotch? Talk about losing Reid?" Morgan shook his head. "So let me guess, it's about the five stages of grief. You want to figure out where we all are?"

Hotch nodded. "It's standard procedure."

"No it's bullshit Hotch!"

There was the anger again, a rage that was bubbling up inside of Morgan and spilling over the edge when somebody did or said something that reminded him too much that he had lost his best friend and little brother. Just like when Reynolds arrived.

"You're angry"

Morgan snorted. "Angry. Yeah, damn right I'm angry." His fists clenched as if to emphasise this, though his voice was now calm and controlled. "There's been days in these past two weeks where I've just wanted to hit everything I passed by; a mirror, a person, a wall. Just so that the psychical pain could outweigh what I'm already feeling. Just so that, even for a minute, I could forget."

Tears pricked at his eyes but Morgan didn't notice. He was too wrapped up in his grief.

"And then I'd feel guilty. Guilty that I wanted to forget about him. Guilty because I felt like I was letting him down. Guilty because I'd already let him down."

"There was nothing you could have done Morgan."

"Yes there was!" The anger rose to the surface again, causing Morgan to stand, his whole posture tense. "I could have protected him better!"

"You..."

"No, you don't understand Hotch. That was my job!" Morgan slumped back into the sofa, the tears that had been pricking at his eyelids now falling. "Above everything else, above the BAU, my job was to keep him safe...and I failed."

Rossi

Rossi was the easiest of the bunch. As soon as he'd sat down, he'd held a hand up to any of Hotch's questions.

"You don't even need to bother. You know I know this assessment like the back of my hand and could easily lie my way through it."

Hotch couldn't help but laugh and motion over to the drinks cabinet. "Drink?"

Rossi chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask."

Hotch also chuckled and poured them both a glass of whiskey before sitting back down. Both men took a sip before Hotch spoke.

"Off the record though, how are you Dave?"

"Probably faring better than the others, but maybe that's because I hadn't known him as long."

"Or because you can compartmentalise better."

Rossi shrugged and looked to his friend. "And what about you? Who's doing your interview Aaron?"

"Well apparently you are."

"You aren't going to answer?"

"You never even let me ask the question."

The banter immediately helped release some of the tension in Hotch's body. He sunk back into the chair with a sigh.

"A toast?" Rossi asked. "No questions. No interview. Just remembering the good times."

Hotch nodded, "A toast," and lifted his glass.

Rossi mimicked his action. "To Haley and Reid. May they both have found peace"

JJ

"How have you been?"

He's getting sick of saying it now.

JJ finally looks up at him, the floor having been her favourite thing since she'd walked in, and Hotch can only watch as her facade, the one that she's had all week, breaks and she crumbles.

"I miss him Hotch"

Hotch smiles. "You know that's the first truthful answer I've heard all day."

JJ also smiles, though it's not the one he's used to, it's sad and resigned.

"I miss him so much and it's hard." She pauses to watch Hotch scribble on his pad for a moment. He nods for her to continue. "It's hard to keep a brave face and try and be neutral at work when I know that there's something missing. When I know that Henry will never remember his godfather, and that Spence will never get to see him grow up. When I know that he's not there for me anymore."

And then JJ broke down, tears tumbling down her face like Niagra Falls. She buried her head in her hands until Hotch leaned over and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"It's ok JJ. It's going to be ok."

Emily

When 3.15 rolled around and the door slowly creeped open to reveal Emily Prentiss, Hotch knew he was done with the questions. Regardless of what Strauss thought, the team needed him as a friend not as a computer reeling off a group of pre-set questions that were more about fulfilling protocol than whether or not the team were actually ok.

So instead, Hotch sat back and waited silently for Emily to begin talking.

But Emily was also silent, expecting, waiting for the first question.

A few minutes passed before Emily confusedly looked at Hotch, wondering why he hadn't spoke. When he nodded, she smiled and spoke. "I...I feel lost."

She paused again expecting Hotch to say something or write something down, but he had long discarded the clipboard and continued to stay silent.

Slowly, Emily realised his intention and continued to speak. "I keep saying, why is this happening to me? All my life, I've been dictated to as to who I should love, and then, when I finally get the courage to tell him how I feel, how **I** feel, not my mother, it all gets ripped away."

She has to pause for a moment and dab the tears from her eyes before she can continue.

"And even worse was the fact that he was my friend too. Not only did I love him, but he was also my friend. I'm losing faith in this job Hotch, It's like, if we can't keep each other safe why are we even doing any of this?"

For the first time, Hotch spoke. "We're doing it so that we can stop other people having to go through what you are now."

Emily looked startled, as if suddenly realising what she had admitted to. "You're not mad?"

Hotch shook his head. "Strauss may disapprove of inter-unit relations but I don't see how it could be against any rule to fall in love."

Emily chuckled slightly. "You know this is the point where he'd start sprouting some information about places where it is against a certain rule to fall in love."

"He would."

"He always made me smile, you know?"

Hotch nodded. "Garcia said the same thing."

Emily smiled. "Well that's how he was, always trying to cheer us all up. Always trying to make us all feel better." She paused again to dab her eyes. "It's not fair. He had so much to give to the world and that chance was taken away from him. There are so many times that I want to wake up and realise that this is all a dream, but it isn't. He really is gone, and he really had left me here to try and cope without him, and I can't Hotch, I just can't."

Like with JJ, Hotch hugged the sobbing woman and tried to console her. "We'll get through this Emily. Together. As a family."

Emily sniffled and looked up at him, nodding her head slightly. "I can try, for him."

"That's all I wanted to hear."

* * *

><p>Next Time:<p>

Chapter Seven: First Case.

"How are you sugar cake?"  
>Emily sighed. "Better after talking with Hotch but, I'm not looking forward to this first case without him."<p>

"Three women in Boise, Idaho have gone missing in the past week, and all three have turned up dead two days later. The last one turned up this morning."

"Wheels up in thirty."

"Reynolds?" Hotch turned to the newest member of the team. "You and Morgan go to the dump sites and see if you can find anything."  
>Reynolds nodded, but Morgan merely glared at him.<p>

* * *

><p>So! That's what you all have to look forward to in the next chapter, which will hopefully be posted on Saturday. Unfortunately I'm uber busy tomorrow, but I'm going to attempt to write the next chapter during the rest of today so it's ready to be posted Saturday morning.<p>

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Has anyone figured it out yet? (Though I'm not going to say what it is)

Thanks for reading!

Please review!


	7. First Case

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional. But is it really the end for our young genius?

Disclaimer: I don't own CM or Spence! :(

AN: Thanks again guys for all the reviews! I really appreciate it! I'm sorry for the late posting of this chapter but it seemed to take me ages to write. Anyway! Here it is! Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter Seven: First Case<p>

Emily Prentiss' Apartment

Despite her current emotions, Emily's apartment was dressed to be warm and inviting. Mahogany furniture along with a large red settee sat in the living room and the mahogany decor continued throughout. A large ornate fireplace burned brightly and picture frames of Emily, her family and the BAU team littered the wall.  
>Only one frame stood out prominently however, and that was the one on Emily's bedside featuring a picture of herself and Spencer. Beside the frame was a vase of roses, and on the other side, a cross.<br>Although she wasn't religious, Emily had taken Garcia's advice to heart and spoke to Reid every night in the hopes that he would hear her.  
>Emily herself was currently sleeping, her face facing the frame and a small smile on her face, barely noticeable but still there nonetheless.<br>Her peaceful slumber was however broken by the beeping of her pager.  
>With a groan, Emily sat up and blinked wearily at the clock.<br>_4.11am_  
>A perfect time to head into work no doubt.<br>Grabbing her pager, she saw that it was JJ that had called and following checking her phone, she let out a sigh and began to get ready for work, dreading the day ahead.

When Emily arrived at the BAU offices half an hour later, she was surprised to see Reynolds already there.  
>"Morning" The younger man smiled at her and held out a Starbucks coffee.<br>Emily smiled very briefly and took the offered coffee from him, "Thanks," and took a sip. She was surprised to find that he had purchased her favourite coffee; a double shot cappuccino with a caramel swirl and chocolate shavings.  
>"How did you...?"<br>He smirked, "Lucky guess," before turning back to pick up his own.  
>"Are the others here yet?" She really didn't want to converse with him, although he seemed nice enough, for he reminded her too much of Reid – especially after getting her her favourite coffee which only Reid had ever known – but at the same time she didn't want to be rude.<br>Reynolds nodded. "Agents Hotchner and Jareau are setting up the conference room."  
>Emily noted the fact that he was addressing them as Agent rather than 'Hotch' or 'JJ', which made her feel slightly bad that no-one (with the exception of Garcia) had tried to make the effort to integrate him into the team, but at the same time, she couldn't help but think about how bad Reid's death had affected them all.<br>Still, when she nodded and made her way to the conference room, hearing him call out "Enjoy your coffee Agent Prentiss," she couldn't stop herself from flinching.

Emily had stayed in the conference room since going up there and was currently slowly sipping her coffee, lost in her own thoughts.  
>She was startled from her reverie when Garcia, who Emily hadn't even heard enter, spoke. "Hey Em."<br>Emily whirled around to face Garcia, her hand over her heart. "Garcia, you scared me."  
>Garcia chuckled as she placed her bright pink bag on the table and started to get her things out of it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."<br>Emily smiled, "No harm, no foul," but the smile quickly disappeared as she returned to her own thoughts.  
>Garcia watched her for a moment, concerned. "How are you sugar cake?"<br>Emily snapped from her thoughts once more and sighed. "Better after talking with Hotch but, I'm not looking forward to this first case without him." She had immediately known that Garcia was referring to how well she was dealing with Reid for Garcia had been the one that Prentiss had gone to to confide in.  
>"Aww hunny. You just need time." Garcia wrapped her friend in a warm hug.<br>"I know, it's just..."  
>"What?"<br>"It's Reynolds too."  
>"What about him?"<br>"I know you've been trying to make him feel welcome, and I feel bad that the rest of us haven't, but I can't help but feel that he's too much like Reid."  
>"I know that the similarities are kind of weird Sugar, but he's a nice guy."<br>"I don't doubt that I just...If I still can't completely accept the fact that Reid's gone then how can I even try to accept his replacement?"  
>For that, Garcia had no answer.<p>

As soon as everyone had arrived, the team settled down in the briefing room and JJ started her presentation.  
>"Three women in Boise, Idaho have gone missing in the past week, and all three have turned up dead two days later. The last one turned up this morning."<br>The pictures of each woman appeared on the screen. "Rebecca Arnold, Jenny Mason and Charlotte Phillips were all found in secluded areas of Greystone park in the early hours of the morning by different people out on a morning run in the park."  
>The dead pictures of the women were then brought up as Hotch took over. "Each of them were killed in distinctly different ways, but the Unsub's signature each time was to place a cross above the victim's heart and then cross their arms over it. Each of the victims' eyes were also closed."<br>"Remorse?" Morgan ventured.  
>JJ shook her head. "Rebecca Arnold had her throat slashed, Jenny Mason had her liver removed and Charlotte Phillips were burnt alive."<br>"A psychopath. They'd be unable to feel remorse." Rossi said.  
>"The signature must have religious connotations then." Prentiss noted.<br>"Each of the methods has a root in the horror movie genre." Reynolds spoke, his eyes staring at the projected images intently. "Slashed throats are most common within the genre, while Hannibal Lecter was known for removing and consuming his victim's organs. Being burnt alive meanwhile is also a common act within the genre, though not as much as slashed throats and has been used in such films as the 2009 Friday the 13th remake. Considering the proximity of the kills to Halloween, which takes place tomorrow evening, it's hardly likely to be a coincidence."  
>Hotch was watching Reynolds carefully. "So you think the Unsub's trying to cover up their kills using Halloween?"<br>Reynolds nodded. "And considering the fact that each of the girls attended the same university,"  
>"It's more than likely someone with a grudge." Hotch finished before smiling at Reynolds. "Good work."<br>Reynolds couldn't help but also smile.  
>Hotch then addressed them all. "Wheels up in thirty."<p>

Fifty minutes later, and the entire team were on the jet and cruising through Virginia air space.  
>Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss and JJ were sitting in the four seater with Garcia's laptop in between them and facetime up and running.<br>Hotch sat opposite them, while Reynolds sat on his own on the couch.  
>Currently, Hotch was addressing the team as to what their duties were when they landed before he let them all get some much needed sleep.<br>"Garcia?" He first addressed the colourfully dressed, bubbly woman on the computer screen. "I want you to run background checks on each of the victims. See if there is any sort of link between them apart from which university they go to. Clubs, family relations, hobbies, anything."  
>"JJ? You'll be stationed at the local PD to address the families that come in, while Prentiss will be there to interview them. Dave? I want you to go and interview the University Dean."<br>"Reynolds?" Hotch turned to the newest member of the team. "You and Morgan go to the dump sites and see if you can find anything."  
>Reynolds nodded, but Morgan merely glared at him.<br>"And I'll also be stationed at the local PD to work on the geographical profile."  
>None of the team members mentioned it out loud, but each of them (with the exception of Reynolds) could help but be saddened by thoughts of Reid when Hotch mentioned the geographical profile.<br>This case really wouldn't be the same without him, and none of them were completely sure whether they would truly be able to handle it, Emily especially.

As Reynolds sat at the opposite end of the plane to the others, writing in his journal while he waited for them to arrive at Boise, his thoughts ran over everything that had happened that morning.  
>He felt that he had made some progress with Agent Hotchner due to his input on the case in the briefing that morning, but he still felt that the others felt him to be more of a nuisance, especially Agents Morgan and Prentiss.<br>Agent Morgan refused to speak to him unless necessary, and even when he did it was in short clipped tones and with a cold air lacing his voice. Reynolds could tell that the man didn't like him one bit.  
>Agent Prentiss meanwhile seemed sad every time she spoke with him. Reynolds was fully aware of how close Agent Prentiss had been with Agent Reid, but he had hoped that she would warm to him and allow him to help her.<br>He decided that he was going to have to try harder with them both, because he had a job to do, and no matter how hard they wanted to make it for him, he was determined to finish it.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading!<p>

Hope you enjoyed it!

Please review!


	8. Turn up the Heat Part One

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional. But is it really the end for our young genius?

Disclaimer: I don't own CM or Spence! :(

AN: Thanks again guys for all the reviews! Enjoy!

Chapter Eight: Turn up the Heat Part One

When the team arrived at Boise, Idaho, they immediately met up with the districts police chief; Detective Lawrence Andrews.

After being shown around the precinct, Hotch told the team to go about the duties he had assigned to them.

As a result, Morgan and Reynolds were now at Greystone Park investigating the dump site. PC Dumas meanwhile had the job of escorting them and both profilers could tell that he wasn't happy about it.

"So you think these killings are to do with Halloween?" Dumas questioned the two profilers as they were examining the third and final dump site.

"We believe that the Unsub is using Halloween to cover up the killings." Reynolds told him as he scoured the dirt around the dump site with gloved hands.  
>"Great. Dealing with the crazies." Dumas scoffed.<p>

"Not necessarily. They're trying to use that mask of religious cults or teens re-enacting horror movies to draw the attention away from themself." Morgan told the younger man, who had obviously not been on the job long to have such a demeanor. It was slowly angering the older profiler.

"You don't like Halloween do you?" Reynolds asked, looking at Dumas curiously.

"It's just some stupid public holiday that people think gives them the right to be nuts"

Reynolds was speaking before he could stop himself. "Actually, Halloween originated from Celtic mythology and particularly the festival of Samhain and the honouring of the dead. It's celebrated all over the world in many different ways and today rivals only Christmas in popularity."

"_All I asked was what he was doing this weekend."_

"_I'm toying with the notion of either going to the Edgar Allan Poe shadow puppet theatre or the re-enactment of the nineteenth century phantasmagoria."_

Tears blinked at Morgan's eyes, and he pulled himself from the memories just in time to hear Dumas' reply.

"Exactly. Like your partner said, religious cults, re-enactments, Halloween gives people the chance to be crazy."

Morgan spun to face them, trying his hardest to keep his emotions – weighing in between sadness and annoyance – in check. "Either way, there's no forensic evidence here for us to use. We better be heading back." He gave them no chance to answer, immediately turning and heading back to the SUV.

Reynolds watched him carefully, confusion along with a measure of sadness in his eyes before he ran to catch up with Morgan. "How come you were so quick to dismiss any forensic evidence that might have been there if we'd looked harder?"

"Look Reynolds, we checked, there was nothing there so rather than wasting our time we should get back to the station and help the others." Morgan replied, and Reynolds could easily hear the animosity in the older man's voice.

Reynolds was silent for a moment before speaking. "You know you could call me Sam."

"Sam. Spencer. What's the difference?"

"I'm sorry?"

"New face and we're all just supposed to forget he ever existed."

Everything clicked. "I'm not trying to replace your team-member if that's what you're saying."

"It's not about what I say. It's about what is."

Slamming the door to the SUV, Morgan effectively ended the conversation.

While Garcia was at the BAU offices back in Quantico working on background checks for the three women, JJ and Prentiss were in one of the conference rooms talking to the third and final family, attempting to console them while also extracting information that may be valuable to the case.

"What about outside of school?" Prentiss asked. "Did your daughter have any hobbies or extra activities that she participated in?"

The parents seemed anxious, and it wasn't the first time that the two agents had seen that over the day.

The father was the one who spoke. "We didn't like to talk about it but, we don't have much money. It took everything we had to send her to university but sometimes it wasn't enough so..."

The mother then took over. "Charlotte worked at a club to pay the extra bills." She dabbed the tears from her eyes. "We told her we'd work something out, but she was determined. It was the only thing she could do with having no experience and her busy schedule."

Prentiss and JJ could both tell that the parents had had enough.

JJ smiled kindly at them. "That's all we need. Thank you."

The parents returned the smile, though still clearly upset, and left.

As soon as they were gone, the two agents turned to each other with mirrored expressions and sighed, before leaving to find Hotch in the adjacent conference room. JJ's phone rang and, knowing it would be Garcia, told Prentiss to go ahead and tell Hotch and she would join them in a moment.

Prentiss nodded and headed into the conference room to see Hotch staring at the geographical profile intently.

He spoke without turning around. "I never could understand how Reid could do this so quickly."

Prentiss smiled sadly before regaining her professional demeanour. "Hotch." She spoke. "We've got something."

Hotch finished shading in one of the areas on the map, leaving a strange un-shaded shape in the middle – the comfort zone – before facing his agent.

"Each of the women had a part time job as exotic dancers in order to pay for their university fees." Prentiss told him.

Hotch nodded in understanding. "And we all know the crime statistics involving exotic dancers and similar jobs."

Prentiss also nodded as she replied. "High risk victims with multiple religious connotations. It definitely fits the grudge aspect of the profile."

The door squeaked as JJ entered. "Garcia says that each of the women worked in a different club or bar, but all in the surrounding area of the university."

Hotch looked at the map. "They'll all be in the comfort zone, but the multiple locations mean that the grudge has to do with the women themselves or their job, rather than the location." He looked back at JJ. "Did she find anything about the park?"

JJ shook her head. "No. But she did find a string of similar murders that happened in the same week leading up to Halloween last year."

"Then the cross doesn't represent a religious sacrifice." Hotch said grimly. "It represents a purging."

He looked down at the map. "The cross still has some religious meaning though which means a church or chapel may be involved. The only one in the Unsub's comfort zone is the one at the university. JJ? Call Dave and relay the information to him. Prentiss? Go to the university and assist Dave in an investigation of the chapel."

Both women nodded and left to do their jobs while Hotch looked at the map and sighed.

"We really could use your help Reid."

At the university, Dave Rossi was sitting in the Dean's office, talking to the man about the young women who had attended and who's killer his team were looking for.

"Did you know of anyone who may have had a grudge against any of the women?"

The man shook his head. "Not that I know of Agent Rossi. Our university prides itself on well mannered, polite students who are an asset to our little society."

Rossi nodded and was about to ask another question when his phone rang. He excused himself and took the call, returning minutes later.

"Dean Matthews. You have a chapel here, correct?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I'd like to talk with your priest."

Not half an hour later, Rossi and Prentiss had been led to the chapel by Dean Matthews and introduced to Father James.

As soon as the two agents had told the Father what they were doing at the chapel and he had agreed to answer any of their questions, the Dean left, leaving the three adults alone in Father James' office.

"Father. Did any of these girls attend your congregations here?" Rossi started, showing the Father the general pictures of the three murdered women.

"Yes they did." Father James nodded. "They were lovely girls with so much potential. It is a tragedy was became of them."

"Do you know anyone who had a grudge against them?" Prentiss asked.

This time the Father shook his head. "No. Not particularly. As I said, they had so much potential. They could have done anything with their lives. A real tragedy."

Rossi nodded and began to jot notes into a small notebook he had in his hand. "Did anyone in the congregation ever look suspicious to you, in any way?"

"No. Definitely not. I know my congregation Agent. None of them would do something like this."

Rossi again nodded and, after sharing a look with Prentiss, stood. His female colleague followed.

"Thank you for your time Father."

As they were leaving the chapel grounds, both agents seemed to have the same opinion of the Father.

"He was saying the words we wanted to hear, but he didn't sound at all remorseful." Rossi said.

Prentiss nodded in agreement. "He's definitely hiding something."

"We'll just have to get Garcia to find out what."

Neither profiler, despite their skills, noticed the glares that the Priest was giving to their backs behind them.

After relaying their information to Hotch, the Unit Chief called Garcia to tell her to look up information on Father James, before telling everyone to go and get a good night's rest; they would continue the investigation the next day when they had more information on the Father.

Rossi and Prentiss had both left together as they were both using the same SUV. Rossi was just unlocking the door when he saw a glint of metal in the corner of his eye.

"Prentiss! Get down!" Rossi yelled, just as the crack of gunfire echoed in the night.

OOOH! I wonder what's going to happen. :)

I hope you enjoyed this next instalment!

Thanks for reading!

Please review!


	9. Turn up the Heat Part Two

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Summary: A mission goes wrong and the cost is the life of one SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. The team is devastated and barely functional. But is it really the end for our young genius?

Disclaimer: I don't own CM or Spence! :(

AN: Thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy the next chapter! More clues in this chapter :)

Chapter Nine: Turn up the Heat Part Two

Prentiss threw herself to the floor just as the bullet went crashing into the passenger side window, sending glass flying everywhere.

Her INTERPOL training kicking in, Prentiss rolled over quickly enough to miss a second bullet before jumping to her feet and gaining cover with Rossi behind the SUV, though not quick enough to escape the third bullet which grazed her arm.

"Are you alright?" Rossi asked her, having noticed her stumble slightly.

Prentiss nodded sparing a quick glance at her arm which had blood running down it, "I'm fine," before sending bullets back to their opponent.

Rossi followed suit, hitting the person and sending them falling off the roof they were on to the ground.

Both agents made sure that everything was clear before moving over to where the person now lay, clearly dead.

Police inside the station along with the rest of the BAU team who had not yet left had heard the commotion and, once they too were sure that everything was clear, had headed outside.

Hotch immediately came up to his agents, "Are you both alright? What happened?"

But neither agent was listening. They were both transfixed on the cross that hung from their assailant's neck.

"Dave?"

The use of his first name prompted Rossi to break his thoughts and answer his friend. "Someone decided to shoot at us. And somehow I don't think its coincidence."

It was then that Hotch too noticed the cross around the assailant's neck.

"Morgan." He called the man over as he bent down and reached the assailant's mobile phone out of his pocket. "Get Garcia to run a trace on this number. I want to find out who called him over the course of today."

Morgan nodded, took the phone and went to call Garcia.

"Emily?" He knelt down beside the woman. "Are you alright?"

Prentiss nodded, though there were tears in her eyes and Aaron knew that this must have been bringing back memories for her. "I'm fine Hotch. Just need some sleep."  
>"I think we all do."<p>

Her superior then noticed the blood running down her arm. "You might want to get that checked out first though." He motioned his head towards the paramedics that had already arrived, the hospital having been a few roads down.

Emily nodded and silently went over to the paramedics, her mind once again lost in thought.

She barely paid attention to the two men as they bandaged her wound and told her that it was lucky that the bullet had only grazed her.

She didn't feel lucky.

If anything, Emily Prentiss felt cheated.

Had she died, she would have been reunited with Reid. And though she felt horrible for thinking it, she wasn't sure whether or not she was glad that she had survived.

The sound of footfalls echoed lightly in her ears as someone approached and looking up, she saw it to be Reynolds, a mug of steaming coffee in his hands.

He smiled and offered it to her. "I know it's only a graze, but you need to keep your blood sugar up."

Emily forced a smile; after all her thoughts about Reid, she really didn't want to think about Reynolds right now. "Thanks."

Reynolds nodded but after a few moments, sensing that she didn't want to say any more, he turned and walked away, leaving Emily to her thoughts of Spencer Reid.

The next morning, Hotch was awoken by the sound of his phone ringing. Looking at the caller ID, he saw that it was Garcia and quickly picked it up.

"Garcia? What do you have?"

"I couldn't find any dirt on Father James to pin him for the murders, but he did call Prentiss and Rossi's guy like five minutes after they left his chapel."

"Thanks Garcia." Hotch replied and hung up the call.

Throwing on a fresh suit, Hotch gathered the others and they all headed to the police station where the Unit Chief told them all, and the Police Chief, about the new development.

"We may not be able to pin the murders on him yet, but we have evidence enough for a search and arrest warrant, at which point we can try and get more evidence to pin him for the murders."

The BAU team along with the Police Chief and his officers all nodded in agreement.

Minutes later, Hotch, Morgan and Reynolds were on their way to Father James' house with a few of the Police Chief's officers, while the rest were on their way to the chapel.

When they got there, Hotch and the officers covered the front while Morgan and Reynolds covered the back. On the count of three they stormed the house, but unfortunately, Father James was nowhere to be found. Quickly calling Rossi, Hotch found that he wasn't at the chapel either and so then called Garcia to tell her to track Father James' car and find out where he was.

She said that she would do so and would call him back when she got the info. In the meantime, Hotch told everyone to search the house for anything that might be useful. It seemed at first that there may be nothing, but when Morgan entered Father James' bedroom to find the walls plastered with messages about purging the world of sinners, doing the work of god and cleansing sin, Hotch knew that they would have enough evidence to send the father down.

If they could find him that was.

Garcia chose that exact moment to call Hotch back and let him know that Father James' car was parked in an alleyway on Monterey Road, just opposite the _Sugar and Spice_ nightclub. Hotch thanked her and the BAU team went back outside to the SUV, leaving the scene and evidence in the hands of the officers while they went to the nightclub to arrest Father James, calling the others on the way.

They found Father James easily enough although actually arresting him and getting him into the SUV was difficult for the man wouldn't stop screaming about his need to cleanse the world. Then, as soon as they got to the police station and went to question him, Father James became silent.

With a sigh, Hotch decided that he would need to employ a different tactic.

Reynolds had been shocked when Hotch had told him to be the one to go and interview Father James, but suspected that the Unit Chief wanted to test his skills.

Stepping into the room, he stood rigid opposite Father James. "Are you going to answer some questions?"

Father James was silent.

"No?" Reynolds said, almost tauntingly. "Fine. I'll talk."

He sat down in the chair opposite.

"You're a religious man, so you dislike anyone doing anything that you think goes against the bible. And so every year, at Halloween, you've been killing anyone that you think is going against the bible. Prostitutes, exotic dancers...And each time, you thought that if you made it look like horror film re-enactments that you wouldn't be suspected. You weren't. But then we came along, and we did suspect you, so you decided to hire someone to try and annihilate one of my team." Reynolds paused and grabbed the man by his collar. "This team has been through enough without you trying to put them through more."

"I am doing the work of God!" The priest screamed.

Reynolds' eyes flashed with a burning anger. "You are doing no such thing."

The priest seemed to shrink back under the fire that was present in Reynolds' eyes.

Reynolds forced himself to calm before he asked the next question. "What I really want to know is why you did it. Why you **really** did it."

The priest seemed reluctant to answer for a moment before he whispered. "Because they turned my godson away from the lord."

Reynolds stayed silent, and the priest wiped away his tears before speaking again, this time aiming his speech directly at the agent. "Do you have a godson Agent? Or a goddaughter?"

Reynolds himself seemed reluctant to answer. "I...I do."

"And do you love them?"

Reynolds nodded. "I haven't seen him in a while, but yes, I love him like he's my own."  
>"So you would do anything to keep him safe?"<p>

"Of course."

"Then you must understand why I had to do what I did. I may have already lost Benjamin, but I could still make sure that no-one else would ever feel my pain."

"And the park? What was the significance there?"

The priest sighed. "It was where Benjamin...where he lost his way. I thought if I blessed the ground and lay them to rest there, I would be absolving him of all his sins."

Reynolds nodded and stood. "You were grieving. I can understand that. But you went about it the wrong way. Rather than doing what you thought god wanted, you should have instead turned to him and let him tell you himself what he wanted."

The priest hung his head, knowing that Reynolds was correct.

The team were definitely making this harder for him; Reynolds thought that night as he sat in the dark lit living room of his apartment, and with Halloween decorations strung up everywhere.

That case had been a tough one and had hit him personally.

He hoped Agent Prentiss was alright after being shot at, but decided that it wasn't his place to call her and ask. She barely knew him, and definitely did not trust him.

Still he felt that he should help her, help all of them. It was after all his job; a job that he needed to complete.

But Morgan refused to talk to him and Prentiss always kept herself guarded, and so they were making it extremely difficult for him to be able to do anything for them.

Nonetheless, he steeled his resolve. He could do this; he was just going to need a little bit of help.

But first, he thought as he snuggled deeper into the couch and his comforter, he was going to enjoy a late Halloween evening.

Stuffing some popcorn into his mouth messily beneath the mask he was wearing, he grinned and pressed play on his first horror movie of the night.

How he loved Halloween.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for reading!

Please review!


	10. A Garcia Christmas

Spencer Reid: Afterlife.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

AN: I am so sorry for being gone for so long! I've been so busy I completely forgot about fanfiction. But for those of you who are still reading, I am determined to finish this fic over the next few weeks. So, enjoy!

Chapter Ten: A Garcia Christmas.

Two months and nine cases had now past since Reynolds had joined the team and – with the exception of Garcia – they were still not all that welcoming to the young doctor. It was now December 23rd and the team had just finished their last case before their three day Christmas break.

Everyone was in the bullpen finishing off the paperwork for the aforementioned last case before they would gather around the BAU Christmas tree – as they always did – and exchange presents.

Despite the general happiness of the festive season, they were all quite sombre; it would be their first Christmas without Reid.

Reynolds was the first to finish, and – without any of the team noticing – he grabbed his bag and slipped out of the bullpen; he did not want to intrude on their Christmas gathering, knowing that it was highly unlikely that he was welcome.

A few minutes later, the others finished up and gathered around the large Christmas tree that was set in the middle of the bullpen, an equally large collection of presents beneath it.

Hotch delved under the tree for his gifts and handed them out, starting off the festivities.

After half an hour of unwrapping gifts, the BAU team thought they were finished when Hotch spotted another group of presence beneath the large fir, stuffed right at the back, almost out of sight.

"Whose are these?" Hotch asked the equally bewildered team as he pulled them out.

Garcia's voice rang out. "They're from Sam."

The team were still bewildered as they slowly unwrapped their respective gifts. Only Garcia had a smile as she pulled out the items inside; a set of vintage jewellery and a beautiful pair of hot pink high heels.

Morgan stared speechless at the football signed by the Chicago Bears.

JJ smiled at the large teddy bear for Henry and the gorgeous birthstone necklace for herself.

Hotch too smiled at the baseball set for Jack and the driving day certificate for himself.

Rossi grinned when he saw the brand new hunting rifle.

Tears fell from Emily's eyes as her fingers gently ran over the expensive leather jacket; the one she had wanted for so long and had only ever told Spencer about.

JJ was the only one to voice their collective thought. "Did anyone get Reynolds anything?"

Silence said everything.

"Two months..." Garcia couldn't find the words to express her disappointment. "I can't believe you guys."

Morgan's eyes strayed to the tree and then back to Garcia. "I don't see yours baby girl."

"Mine are in the car because I'm spending Christmas Eve with him"

Morgan went silent

"He already didn't stay because he told me he didn't feel welcome, but this just takes the cake."

Shaking her head, Garcia picked up her bag and gifts and stood, staring down at the rest of the team. "You don't have to like him, but you could at least be civil. For Reid's sake, if anything."

Turning, Garcia stalked to the door, looking back only to say one last thing. "Merry Christmas guys. I'll see you on Monday."

"You act like you're forgetting about Spence"

Garcia's eyes were like thunder; if looks could kill, JJ would be on the floor.

"I could never forget about my junior G-Man, but I'm not going to treat Reynolds like he's invisible. That's not what Spencer would want" With that, Garcia turned on her heel and left the bullpen.

Each and every team member sitting around the glittering Christmas tree could not deny the pit of guilt now gnawing at them.

* * *

><p>Sam's apartment was decorated with so many Christmas decorations that it looked akin to Santa's grotto. Fluffs of fake snow and hanging snowflakes decorated the walls, colour changing icicles by the window. A large fir tree stood in the corner, beautifully decorated with a hand made angel at the top.<p>

A fresh batch of iced cookies lay on the small coffee table next to two empty Christmas themed mugs; a red snowman and a pink angel.

Sam himself was humming as he finished off a second batch of cookies, his repertoire currently on Jingle Bells.

He was broken from his reverie however when there came a knock at the door. A large smile on his face, he moved to open it. "Hey. You're early."

Penelope Garcia stood on the other side, looking into the apartment with slight awe. "Now this really is Christmas. Do you know Santa?"

She was grinning at him, wearing a fluffy santa jumper and red jeans, her hair tied back with bells, and he couldn't help but return it.

"Yeah, but my best friend is the Easter bunny." He quipped, moving aside to let her in.

Garcia laughed and she was amazed by how easy it had become to banter with Sam. Of course she wasn't done grieving. Truthfully, Garcia doubted she'd ever be able to let her precious genius go, but she at least felt a little better. More able to enjoy the festive season.

She only hoped the others would start to be a little more welcoming.

"Ooo! I smell cookies." She quickly headed over to the table, picking up a pink iced snowflake.

Sam moved back to the open kitchen, smiling at her as she took a large bite. "I'm working on a second batch now. I used to make these with my godson."

A memory flashed through Garcia's mind and her expression suddenly became a little sad. She stared down at the half bitten cookie. "Spence used to do the same with Henry."

Sam was quick to see her expression and quickly moved to retrieve the empty mugs from the table, setting the kettle to boil for hot cocoa. "Tell me about him."

"Spencer?" Garcia looked up at him, a little unsure what he was asking. But when Sam simply continued to make the hot chocolate, a small smile on his lips, she spoke. "He was perfect. I mean, I know everyone always says that, but really he was. You couldn't fault him. I said this to Hotch… after… and it's true. He always thought of others before himself. He was such a good godfather to Henry and now…" She broke off as tears fell from her eyes, and Sam was quick to draw her into a hug.

"It's okay to miss him."

"I know."

Slowly he moved back, filling the two mugs with hot cocoa and handing her the pink angel. She smiled at the image before taking a sip.

"Penelope… Do you believe in angels?" Sam seemed almost hesitant to ask and Garcia could help but laugh a little.

"In this job? Of course." She replied. "With all the bad out there, I have to believe in something good."

Sam smiled. "Then believe that your friend is watching over you."

Garcia hugged him again. "I already do."

They stayed that way for a few moments before Sam spoke. "Thank you."

"For what?" Garcia frowned, confused.

"Letting me in. The others…"

Garcia cut him off, smiling again. "Will get there. You, my little jelly tot, are going to be fine. You've just got to force them to open up. After all, no-one can be as outgoing and lovable as I am!"

"Jelly tot?" Sam looked at her bewildered.

"Yes. Because you are cute and squishy. Now come on!" She flopped onto the couch and grinned. "It's not Christmas without Disney cartoons."

Sam grinned and came to sit beside her, both of them nursing their cocoa, and hit play.

Outside, underneath the bright rays of the moon, snow began to fall. It collected on the outer sill of Sam's window, topped by a small white feather.

Even as the night continued, moving into the early hours of the morning, the feather did not move an inch.

Christmas day.

Spencer certainly was watching.


	11. Henry

Spencer Reid: Afterlife

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

AN: Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter. I've made Henry just a tad younger to fit my purposes. Hope you don't mind. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: Henry

JJ felt guilty. Really guilty.

She was starting to realise how they'd all acted towards Reynolds since he arrived, and she felt sick to the stomach.

Never in her life had she treated someone that way, and deep down she knows it's not what Spence would have wanted.

So as she walks through the BAU that morning – January 2nd – with Henry squirming in her arms, she vowed that she was going to make it right.

"Mama!" Henry reached a chubby hand for her face, sensing her distress.

JJ gave her pride and joy a soft smile. "I'm okay sweetie."

He seemed to calm down after that, but when they entered the bullpen and he immediately called "'Pence!", she began to regret her decision to bring him to work.

So far they didn't have a case. Only paperwork called, and with Will on patrol and Marie still on holiday, JJ thought it made sense to bring Henry with her.

She hadn't thought about the impact on Henry, or the impact Henry would have on the team.

The guilt seemed to increase again, even more so when Emily turned their way, tears already misting at Henry's cry.

"Hey little man." Morgan walked in behind her, though JJ knew from his own tears that he had also heard Henry. Nevertheless, the male profiler tickled Henry's tummy, causing the toddler to giggle wildly.

Morgan smiled at JJ. "I've missed the little guy."

JJ returned the affection, but her smile too was a little sad. She hadn't really brought Henry around because of Spence. The toddler was too young to understand what had happened. Henry simply knew that he didn't see Uncle Spencer anymore, and that hurt JJ more than she could have imagined.

She'd named Spence, her best friend, as Henry's godfather because she knew the man would do – would have done – everything in his power to make sure Henry was safe and educated if something ever happened to her or Will.

JJ had never thought about Spence leaving them first, and not so soon after.

"He's missed you too Morgan."

Their little bubble was broken however by Morgan's next words. "Strauss wants us to do a group psych eval."

JJ's jaw literally dropped. "Again? Doesn't she think we've been through enough?"

Morgan agreed with a low sigh, shaking his head. "We got no choice in the matter JJ. She thinks we're still hung up over Reid."

JJ's fists actually clenched. "Hung up is the wrong word completely. He was my best friend. That isn't going to go away."

Morgan put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know. But like I said. We've got no choice."

JJ sighed softly and unclenched her fists. "Let's just get it over with."

But then her eyes drifted downwards, and –

"What about Henry?"

"Baby girl's in there too." Morgan replied, ruffling the child's blonde mop. "So you'll have to leave him with Anderson for a while."

JJ nodded, but deep down she knew that Anderson wasn't that comfortable with kids, and Henry wasn't that comfortable with him.

Her eyes scanned the bullpen, but she found only Reynolds, filing paperwork.

"I'll be with you in a minute Derek."

Morgan nodded and moved away to the round table room, presumably where the evals were taking place.

Once he was out of sight, JJ gingerly made her way to Reynolds, her nerves showing through ever so slightly as she chewed her lip.

"Are you alright?" Reynolds asked her immediately, before she even got over to him. He turned in his chair, concern in his eyes. "You're biting your lip which means you're nervous."  
>JJ swallowed. This was going to be harder than she thought. He looked so much like Reid, especially when worried. Especially when worried about her.<p>

"I, uh… I was wondering if you would look after Henry for me for a while?"

Reynolds' eyes immediately shifted up to the round table room. "Psych evals? Trust me, I know they suck."

JJ couldn't help but laugh a little and she found the tension easing from her body. "You could say that."

Reynolds flashed her a smile. "Sure, I'll watch the little guy."

JJ let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. A small part of her wasn't sure Reynolds would accept the olive branch she was holding. Not after the way the whole team (Minus Garcia) had acted over Christmas. "Thanks."

She gently placed Henry on the floor, who toddled over to Reynolds with a bright smile on his face. "Pence!"

The look on Reynolds' face deserved to be captured on camera. He looked completely and utterly dumbfounded.

JJ meanwhile looked horrified. "Henry baby, no. That's not Uncle Spencer."

"Pence!"

Shaking away his stupor, Reynolds simply laughed. Scooping Henry up with practiced ease, he whispered into the young child's ear.

Henry giggled, but didn't yell Spencer's name again.

"We'll be fine." Reynolds smiled at her. "You don't want to be late."

JJ was shocked at how natural Reynolds was with Henry, but she forced a smile, covering the pain that came with the brief thought of him replacing Spencer for Henry. She wanted – needed – to give the man a chance. "Thanks Sam."

"No problem Agent Jareau."

"Call me JJ."

* * *

><p>When JJ left the Psych Evals over an hour later, she was happy to see Henry playing away, a spacecraft looking object in his hands.<p>

"That's a tie fighter." Sam explained to him, and Henry giggled with glee.

JJ's smile saddened slightly, though she was happy to see the two getting along. Spence had always said he would teach Henry about Star Wars.

Slowly she made her way over. She didn't want to interrupt them, but it was past Henry's breakfast time.

As she got closer however, she was shocked to see the remnants of a dish of fruit beside Henry.

"Seedless grapes, strawberries and small chunks of pineapple." Sam listed just as JJ said them in her mind. "He was getting hungry. I hope you don't mind."

"O…Of course not…" She didn't mind, of course, but she was shocked that he would know Henry's favourite breakfast dish.

"My godson loved it too." Sam informed her, giving Henry's tummy a little tickle, and she could see a sadness in his smile.

"What happened?" The words were out of her mouth before she could even think.

"This job." Sam replied, looking up at her. She would see a small amount of tears collecting. "I don't really get any time with him." He glanced back down at Henry, the smile widening slightly.

"I'm sorry." For the first time since he'd arrived, Sam seemed human. To JJ at least. Not Spence's replacement anymore. Just Sam.

"I'm okay." He replied, but she didn't have to be a profiler to know it was a lie. Again, she found the words coming out of her mouth before she could think them. "You're welcome to come see Henry. He clearly loves you."

"Sam! Sam!" Henry giggled at her words before raising his arms to her to be picked up. JJ willingly obliged, holding him close. The psych eval had dregged up some back memories, and Henry always made them better.

Sam seemed shocked at her words, but his smile quickly turned from sad to joyful. "Really?" Once again, the similarities between him and Spencer – that almost child like happiness – hurt.

Still, JJ stayed smiling. "Of course. Me and Will would love the extra company."

"Thanks JJ." This time, it was Sam left feeling grateful.

"For what?"

"Giving me a chance."


End file.
